Your Place In The Story; click here to listen

Jesus was losing life feels more like a losing battle than something and hopefully if you are going that bad for you that it is when we spring forward in his ACC tournament week. Yeah, yeah, but there's also like big tenants really other turn out another have come today were to be talking about a topic that I think touches each one of us that at least at one point or another in our life and if not several times throughout her life, which is part of the point of the topic today and talking today a little bit about your place in the story Rob if I ask you if you can help explain kind what your place in the story means to do that for me EL I'll try to do it in a few seconds rest but essentially there's a story that's been going on.

Actually, way before we got here it goes back even further than Genesis 1. It goes back to when the trend was hanging out and in living the Gospel of John and then obviously there's the whole partner where we get created and then there's the fall and then at some point in time, you know, almost in Act III. The way this describe search on Eldridge's ministry as we come in the play with a lot that's already taken place and so we often find ourselves like were coming on in the middle of a movie and we don't know exactly why all the stuff is going on around us because none of it is seeming to make sense based on what were looking at every day as we wake up to all the stuff you had me at hello okay thank you desert I say savings other words it's it's what's our purpose where we hear were we in accident were intended. Today we have a guest on the show, which are very happy to have Michelle nice to have you, Michelle.

Michelle Ovitz right that is in sort of a little bit about Michelle and her story as we talk about this topic today and so we want to go ahead and start with the clip and in this clip it's from the movie Forrest Gump in the scene, you have Lieut. Dan who has come back from the Army from the war very much intending to have not come back in the war. He thought that he was pagan be killed in battle and in force has saved him, and he's lost his legs and says as he struggling to find out why am I here what's my purpose. Let's listen how that kinda plays out between the two of them just happens. It's all part of dying out there, but now you know what it's like not to be able to use your legs. Yes, I sent I had a destiny I was supposed to die with you, you understand what I'm saying this wasn't supposed to. I had that was Lieut. Dan Taylor. There's a lot going on but you have guided but feels as if his life is over and he's rather young this point in the movie and so Michelle, I'm sure at times in your life would you share a little bit about your story on how you can had some plans and is good change for you along the way. Yes, big time. I started out thinking I was going to have the same life is anyone get married, have kids draw John to the end and I guess there is a different plan because I got multiple sclerosis when I was 29.

While I got first I got divorced at 28th and I went and got multiple sclerosis about a year later, and then I found myself changing all the plans I had kind of just Ryden tied where it takes me now you get these places, we got to make choices along the way that Dan has to make a choice or do I go on, do I not gone and I'm sure that something you probably faced the first thing I thought of when I was diagnosed as my dog when I die, I didn't know that is not a fatal illness and he died 10 years ago so things worked out the way they're supposed to work in you.

You recalibrate music in an hour ago.

What I do from here.

I think that that's something that we all kinda struggle with is just okay do I have a purpose to have a bigger meaning of I'm hearing you talk about this topic before, but as we talked about some this week was your mind kinda went with what's my purpose yeah yeah my mind has gone back was my purpose because you know I'm kind of another, and another one the seasons and there been different times in my life and this caused me to to think about that and kinda see looking back, what may be some of those different roles has been is my daughter's father when I was in the media. Some other things that I've done in my life and I was advocating for mental health were God is put me in different places in my life and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you don't know for sure that's that's it.

You don't know you think is at my destiny were condition so much quickly as man and I think Michelle had some of it to with her career path were conditioned to think that our story has to do with what we do for a living and what our career is in having family and all that God sees a much larger picture than that, you know, but didn't. In talking with people whether there are teams trying to plan for college. When we do with my career as a rise asking that question.

Like the note 17, I found myself asking my son that day and I'm thinking really.

He's only 17 housing and I know that you going to their 20s or 30s, you can talk to and of all ages and probably emails about agent and find out that they really don't know what they want to be when I grow up, to some degree because you don't know what the season, life can bring for Antarctic geysers are 60 or 70 and Linda said I don't know what is in store for me now.

I don't want my purposes this point, we see that so much family men come to book and they come in. I know that I was meant for more than this, I feel like God has more fully, but I don't. I'm not want to miss that. But I don't know how to figure out where that is and how to understand those times that we have tried did not work out really well is it ended up being some painful times on the way you know times we can look back and say that there's life lessons but they really hurt when you're in the midst of so it's hard to sometimes can you pick up and want to go on from there show if you don't like masking a little bit about your journey with them multiple sclerosis.

It I know a little bit about it. My sister has it, but it's something that goes in stages doesn't for a lot of people. Yeah, the most common kind of relapsing remitting MS most people are diagnosed at that. With that, and that's when you have a period of time where you quote unquote normal and then you might then you have a relapse where some of your brain or nerves are demyelinating and then causing deficits in what you can do your abilities. There's multiple times along the way you get a stop and okay now looks completely different today. Absolutely. Some people do it daily. Some people do it minute by minute before we get a break as there's a danger in not recognizing something it can sneak in if were not careful and listen a clip from a movie called patch Adams. It's a longer clip and onto the listen how it plays out, and especially the very end. What we come back to on it as I think it's important a part of our story. Everyone comes to the ranch is also about every person who comes the ranch is in need of some form of physical or mental health patients also. Every person who comes the ranch is in charge of taking care of someone else. Whether it's cooking for them. Cleaning than even a simple task is listening makes them doctors use that term broadly general and that is not a doctor, someone to help someone else. Dr. get treated with such references. All this way, Dr. Smith, talk shows what wonderful footpads are Dr. Patterson, but your flatulence has no point in history did Dr. become more than a trusted and learned friend who visited and treated the ill asked me if I've been practicing medicine.

This means opening your door to those in need was in pain, caring for them.

Listening to them applying a cold cloth until a fever breaks if this is practicing medicine. If this is treating a patient and I am guilty as charged. The ramifications of your actions patients die when we so mortally afraid of what can retreat – a certain amount of humanity and dignity and decency and God forbid, maybe even humor. Death is not the enemy. Gentlemen fight disease. Let's fight the most terrible diseases of all indifference. Every human being has an impact on another doctors mission should be not just to prevent but also to improve the quality of life. That's why you treat a disease you when you treat a person to know when you want to say about the truest. Yeah, there was a part of it that I didn't want to be lost on us. That unit is happened at the medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He had checked himself into a psych ward for four suicide because he thought that he might commit suicide. And that's where he really found his purpose in moving forward with this and I and I think that's a very crucial part of the story.

I think if you watch that movie it's been a while since I seen a good part of his story was the first doctor that he comes in contact with really doesn't care is not really listening to the claims Ashley pretty funny the way he handles and we're only an aluminum movie but that's where he kinda says no. It's gotta be different in this.

You can't just put a patch on this. Yeah, exactness is worsening and in so as we listen to that, you know, we could hear what about you taking care of one another, but there's that that danger of indifference that indifference it says doesn't even really matter. Can I really make a difference.

Talk about that when you come back when you find out how do you continue to move on how to continue to move on with life keeps coming in and working go to get that answer circuit. What is my purpose today this week or this month as we do need to know that we need to know why we're here because we were created for a reason to talk about that and find out where were you get those answers.

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My parenting is hard to do in just two minutes, two minutes twice a day, making sure they brush their teeth is easier to help save them from lifetime to the bank to into X.org to find out what message from the partnership are healthy miles, utilizing counsel, we are just searching to find an answer. We do is you pick that bump in music more perfect music or today's topic that what why did you pick what you turn that microwave you hear me saying it is you I didn't get a second.

So I moved it yeah I love Chicago and is partly in honor of you because that was your first concert 12 years old you were telling the other day I was on great band but what powerful what powerful message in that song you can't really tell if he's if he's talking about. I can remember when I first heard that nothing was he talking about a woman because it really doesn't sound like a detail. It sounds like you talking about something bigger than that when John Lennon went helicopter with Maharishi and 67 he said and they asked him why did it and he came down he said to tell you the truth I thought he might slip the answer were all searching for that answer. While searching for our purposes, and the other line that he says in that song right after that.

Now I know my life has meaning, which is just as powerful as we are all searching were all wanting to know why am I here what, what's my role. What's at that that void that I'm supposed to fill in this great thing called life and show and we left were talking little bit about the danger of indifference to put on the spot a little bit interesting days that don't you hear that voice decision of this is too hard or do you have you push through that.

I think that my I have to give credit to my father. He had polio as a child and I never heard him complain. I never saw him sit out for one minute. So I don't have that choice.

I have no choice but to keep going even doesn't matter how I feel I have to do and and I try to think there's always somebody worse. I'm kind of on a quest to find the worst person you know because everybody in today's United States thinks they have it so bad that she brings up a great point that a lot of times I've seen God, point me to that. I didn't realize was going. As you see somebody that really does habit pattern you think. What in the world is going on here. And often those people are actually a spectacle to the rest of us that Job was a great example of that of know God was showing what his servant would do when he met with all these different obstacles and so in this case, Michelle's father part of his struggle through polio was to send a teacher's daughter what a value that kind of struggle would be in her life and what it would mean to push through some things that are extremely difficult. My father also had polio and also struggled. Similarly, through a lot of things and I watch that and watched him go through some pain and I didn't realize actually until I was listening to your story that that was undoubtedly part of what God was teaching me through. I am banished. One of things that I read and when the John Eldridge books that he talks about that for some patients, not not all patients for some patients the best treatment for depression is to go help somebody that's less fortunate than them right and there's just something about that that brings life to them. I read something that said that that releases endorphins. When you help people and the funny thing it comes to the fact that after I was diagnosed with MS and move down here it was divorced, moved to North Carolina I started a charity to help people going through similar things now with the MS part but with the divorce going back to school to go find my passion to raise money to help with legal fees.

If that was necessary and really get that off the ground and running and then get shut down pretty quickly couple years yeah is just the changes in the laws and dietary stuff and so where do we get that answer.

Chicago ascus Dennis where we find that answer. If someone called and said I want to get Dennis on the phone. Where would you say that you would start to look for that answer.

Are you talking to the wrong guy because it really has to come from God really has to come from that that intimacy that relationship that we develop with God and in John Eldridge talks about this to were were were in such a close relationship with him that we can hear what he's calling for us.

We can hear the destiny that has first. Sometimes I think he may speak through other people as happened to me recently from from one of our brothers Al who's been talking to me about their said there's a part of my story here that may play out later on that can help someone like my daughter help other people, but there are certain things that I can walk through a need to walk through in order for that to take place. You'll see that because you wanted. I think to for us.

A lot of times its immediacy. Okay, I not only want to do it. I want to do it today and I want it all happened today and I may not want to go through these things that it takes to get there. I can imagine Michelle what it is you're walking through it makes me feel like my stuff. This is pretty minimal, but we all do have those things that go on in our lives in God has a place for sin in that story but there's some work that we have to do some things that we have to do ourselves that no one else can do for us, and regardless of where you find yourself there's a there's a role that you can play and actually go to clip here from a movie called the butterfly circus no reviews that a few times and if you have ever seen this please please please go on YouTube and look up the butterfly circus. It is a great, great little short movie and sometimes into 10 minute segments. It's a 20 minute movie overall but it's just so powerful and anything was so great about it was it wasn't made by any spiritual or religious group, of any kind is people that just know that were always humans know that we gotta have a reason to be here. You have a purpose were to learn about this guy that was born without any arms or legs. And so what we hear that is the ringmaster of the butterfly circus talking to them in a way that he wasn't expecting and talking about maybe helping get some perspective so she's kind of pick up and go from there girls from man call God self talk is what would you say that you see beauty that can come from – from me, you do have an equally strong listener that talks a little bit about there somebody here that speaking into his life into this person's life and it is the first doesn't seem very kind but it ends up being your very kind but you have to change some perspective there and so what was the perspective that he was trying to get that person to have in this clip you have this image of themselves had changed yeah very much how he valued himself, how he looked at himself. How sometimes we look at ourselves in the mirror and we may say, see something entirely different than what God sees is trying to bring out his board is really strong other than beauty comes from ashes is trying to bring out his glory is trying to show him his glory show. I know that knowing a little bit about your story that the whole beauty from ashes was kind important for you and there's been times in your life. You kinda had to face that a little bit and so in today's challenges. How do you say okay this is where I'm going to go tomorrow and what's with the passion you have on your heart right now. Whatever this next season looks like I don't try to plan ahead because I don't know where what I'll be feeling like tomorrow but I just try to do the best I can. Each and every day, and the whole beauty from ashes thing hit me very deeply because I've always felt Phoenix like burns up into a pile of ashes and re-birth rebirth itself. Everything so many years of you have always felt like a phoenix in our life, we will cycle were to cycle through these times it that are good.

I know used to believe. Well, if I could just get to this point and everything is going to be okay. Now knowing there's a bus around the corner there something since coming up and industrializing in their starting be good days as you said Michelle. This can be bad days but I just need to take advantage there's good days when I have a man and so trying to find okay what can I do with those good days that I do have and that's exactly what I must taught me is when I do get good days are good. Minutes are good but have seconds I take huge advantage of them because my may not fail the lift my hand around if someone called you and said okay Robby I listen to the show. I really want to know more about how I can find my role in this season regarded as my agent.

What's my role. What would you what advice would you give them same.

Another breakthrough that we've seen in men's lives where they really got traction and really got an idea of their place in the story was in most covenant of silence times when they went in God alone with God and ask him those questions.

Of course we sometimes provided them with some questions to go to God with you know what God would you call me God wanted you to sign before one of the things that make my heart come alive and things like that but ultimately this shows his success to the point that the listeners go and take those questions to God themselves, because that's work they can ultimately get the answers. And there they find some of the destiny that the Lieut. Dan was after the destiny that God has for us is way beyond that of our wildest dreams. Those three correct questions to me not too long ago. In that regard. On what is God saying, what is your heart say what are you passionate about.

And that's when things are God will help you see sometimes is to say it was the season you are passionate about where where do you find life you talking the other day about someone finding speaking truth to you and had a friend come to me the other day and say that Sam, this is where I think you need to head with your life and what I found was that there was something there. I didn't see in God's lien on my heart is working.

That's what ask you guys go to just go pray and ask God as friends to pray and see what they're hearing is God has a passion for you to make that heart comes alive in that void that needs to be filled and only you can fill. Thanks for listening were glad to have you, Michelle, thank you for being with us today.

Thank you so awesome and masculine journey radio Attica questioned or diverted outdoor that's